Quantifying renewable groundwater stress with Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) – accepted manuscript online: 16 June 2015, Full publication history “Groundwater is an increasingly important water supply source globally. Understanding the amount of groundwater used versus the volume available is crucial to evaluate future water availability. We present a groundwater stress assessment to quantify the relationship between groundwater… Continue Reading
Ryan Gallagher – The Intercept: “The Obama administration fought a legal battle against Google to secretly obtain the email records of a security researcher and journalist associated with WikiLeaks. Newly unsealed court documents obtained by The Intercept reveal the Justice Department won an order forcing Google to turn over more than one year’s worth of data from the Gmail… Continue Reading
Migration Policy Institute: “This incredibly handy map [searchable database], based on estimates from the UN Population Division, shows the immigrant and emigrant populations by country of origin and destination. Select a country from the dropdown menu to learn where immigrants originate and the countries in which emigrants settle. If “emigrants” is selected, bubbles will appear over… Continue Reading
Structure of government debt in 2014: “Among the Member States for which data are available, Sweden (29% of total government debt has a term below one year) and Bulgaria (21%) registered in 2014 the highest proportions of short-term initial maturities of debt. Italy (15%), Hungary (14%), Portugal (13%) and France (12%) also recorded shares of… Continue Reading
BLS news release: “In 2014, 17.1 percent of persons with a disability were employed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported [June 16, 2015] . In contrast, the employment-population ratio for those without a disability was 64.6 percent. The ratio for persons with a disability declined by 0.5 percentage point from 2013 to 2014, while… Continue Reading
Brooks, Thom, How Not to Save the Planet (June 19, 2015). Brooks, Thom “How Not to Save the Planet,” Ethics, Policy & Environment (target article) (Forthcoming). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2620647 “Climate change presents us with perhaps the most pressing challenge today. But is it a problem we can solve? This article argues that… Continue Reading
EPIC: “The Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules that impose strict limits on telemarketing practices. Under the rules, consumers can halt unwanted messages by telling companies to stop calling. The rules also allow phone companies to offer call-blocking services to screen out automated telemarketing calls. In 2014, the FCC received more than 215,000 complaints… Continue Reading
“About 8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean each year (Jambeck et al., 2015). Part of this accumulates in 5 areas where currents converge: the gyres. At least 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic are currently in the oceans (Eriksen et al., 2014), a third of which is concentrated in the infamous Great Pacific Garbage… Continue Reading
Pew FactTank, June 18, 2015: “The Census Bureau is experimenting with new ways to ask Americans about their race or origin in the 2020 census – including not using the words “race” or “origin” at all. Instead, the questionnaire may tell people to check the “categories” that describe them. Census officials say they want the… Continue Reading
Bing Moving to Encrypt Search Traffic by Default: “At Microsoft, we’re committed to helping users keep their data safe and secure. That’s why we support the industry’s move to use of TLS protocols as part of our effort to expand encryption across our networks and services. Bing has already been offering users the option to… Continue Reading
Federal Prison System: Justice Could Better Measure Progress Addressing Incarceration Challenges, GAO-15-454: Published: Jun 19, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 19, 2015. “The Department of Justice (DOJ) has implemented three key initiatives to address the federal incarceration challenges of overcrowding, rising costs, and offender recidivism, which includes the return of offenders to prison after release. The… Continue Reading
Arctic Planning: DOD Expects to Play a Supporting Role to Other Federal Agencies and Has Efforts Under Way to Address Capability Needs and Update Plans, GAO-15-566: Published: Jun 19, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 19, 2015. Farm Program Modernization: Farm Service Agency Needs to Demonstrate the Capacity to Manage IT Initiatives, GAO-15-506: Published: Jun 18, 2015.… Continue Reading